Once the depths of a rebuild is finally over, the most difficult obstacle an organization has to face is how to sustain its new found success, There are examples of teams that become so focused on winning now, they lose sight on what the team will look like in five years and most importantly, what to do if players that are counted on suddenly decline or get injured. Other teams become obsessed in always being ready for the future, and these are the teams that are always trading away their good players to get younger. If I wanted to name a team that has the perfect balance of now and later, it would be the Pittsburgh Pirates. Part of the reason they have balanced it well is because they have to- they are a small market team. As the Pirates have gained prominence, they have had to be very selective over the players they have chosen to commit long term deals to. Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen, new starting center fielder Starling Marte, outfielder Gregory Polanco and second baseman Josh Harrison have all received new extensions which at least have given the team the option to delay their free agent years. That meant that Neil Walker, Mark Melancon, Pedro Alvarez and Francisco Liriano were not going to be part of the team's plans going forward. In exchange for Melancon and Liriano, the Pirates acquired left handed pitcher Felipe Rivero and right hander Drew Hutchison. They turned Walker... eventually, into reliever Antonio Bastardo, whom the Pirates brought back after they had let him go as a free agent after the 2015 season. I look at the Pirates the same was I did prior to the 2013 or 2014 seasons. They have the ability to be good now, but they are well equipped to be even better in the future. The Pirates off season was centered around the outfield position switch and of course, whether franchise icon McCutchen would be traded. They did re-sign right handed pitcher Ivan Nova to a three deal after he pitched three complete games and won five of his 11 Pirates starts last season. The Pirates also signed relief pitcher Daniel Hudson to a two year contract to serve as the team's set up man to closer Tony Watson. The Pirates are expecting to get a full season out of 24 year-old first baseman Josh Bell. Bell expects to hit for some power, while possessing pretty good plate discipline. McCutchen did have a down offensive season overall but he had a very solid second half of 2016. I would bet on McCutchen to have another top season left in the tank. New left fielder Polanco hit 22 home runs last season and Marte hit .311 and OPS'ed .818 in 129 games. Harrison did not reach his 2014 All Star form in his first season as the team's starting second baseman last year, but still hit .283 in 2016 and third baseman Jung Ho Kang hit 21 home runs in just 103 games last season. World Series MVP David Freese is still around to play third if Kang starts the season in jail. At the very least, the former Korean star should never be allowed to drive a car again. Freese and John Jaso will back up Bell if he has to miss any time to start the season as he recovers from the removal of a loose "body." Jaso will also get some work in the outfield to increase his versatility. Shortstop Jordy Mercer is just there for his defense and will remain the starter as long as he can continue to hit about .250 with a little bit of pop. Catcher Francisco Cervelli also had a down 2016 where he saw his batting average drop over 30 points and his slugging percentage fall almost 80. Assuming Kang and Bell are in the lineup opening day, I would line the Pirates up like this Marte CF, Harrison 2B, Polanco LF, McCutchen RF, Kang 3B, Bell 1B, Cervelli C, Mercer SS. Jaso and Freese lead the bench, with Adam Frazier, Phil Gosselin and backup catcher Chris Stewart rounding out the team's projected position players. Jason Rogers and Joey Terdoslavich are in camp to battle for spots. The Pirates have moved on from pitchers such as AJ Burnett, Charlie Morton, JA Happ, Francisco Liriano and Ryan Vogelsong over the past couple of seasons. This has opened the door for Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow, two of the more talented young pitchers in the game. They will team with Garrett Cole, who is clearly their ace but is coming off a disappointing 2016 season. Nova will follow Cole with the fifth spot coming down to pitchers Chad Kuhl, Hutchison and Steven Brault. Watson is ready for his first full season as the team's closer. Hudson will grab the eight inning with Rivero, Juan Nicasio, Jared Hughes and Bastardo giving them some depth. Nicasio looks to have found himself as a reliever and maybe he can get some closer swings if Watson struggles. That is part of the reason Hudson was signed. Austin Meadows is on his way to becoming a future MLB regular in the outfield. The only problem is the Pirates have three starting outfielder, all of whom are all star caliber. Glasnow and Bell are already in the major leagues and both have very high ceilings. Right hander Mitch Keller comes with a ton of strikeout potential, but may not be ready until the 2018 season. Infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes, son of former Major Leaguer Charlie, is probably a couple years away, though catcher Elias Diaz could be ready this season. I think the Pirates are better than any team in the National League Central division, outside of the Cubs. However, I can see them get beat by a series of teams outside of their division. The Pirates will stay in contention for a Wild Card spot, just like they did last season. They have the ability to score runs, and will be solid if Cutch bounces back and Kang and Bell contribute like they are capable of. If Cole pitches like he did in 2015 and Glasnow and Taillon add to the rotation depth, they can be a possibility for a Wild Card spot. Vegas put the Pirates at 85.5, which is pretty accurate. I take the under though, and have the Pirates at 80-82, second place in the National League Central division.

​It is time to hit the home stretch of the yearly preview countdown. For anybody reading for the first time, please feel free to check out my other team previews as sixteen MLB teams are now in the books. One of the hardest things to do is judge what will happen one year to the next with a particular baseball team. Because of this, there really is just six degrees of separation from one team to the next. In other words, a team ranked 20th in the countdown is close to 19 and if they were 19, it would put them close to 18. A team ranked 15 is just a break away from being 16 and if they were 16, it would put them close to 17. As I have discussed before, parity in the game has put many teams within the same parameters and, according to my rankings, 17 teams could finish 2016 with a winning record with an 18th finishing at 81-81. The Pittsburgh Pirates have become the most frequent participant in the Wild Card Game since its inception in the 2012 postseason. The Pirates have appeared in the game... three times; the only MLB team to appear in the game more than once. 14 teams have appeared in this game with the other 13 being in the game just once. Seven teams have won their only Wild Card Game while the other six have lost their winner take all playoff game. The Pirates have also hosted their Wild Card Game all three seasons, a feat in itself. But that is what makes it sting a little more. The Pirates finished each of the past two seasons with a better record than the other wild card team, losing first to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in 2014, then to the 2015 Chicago Cubs- a team that would then defeat the National League Central Division Champion St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series. Very quietly, the Pirates have had a very busy off season. The Pirates signed free agent right hand pitcher Ryan Vogelsong (9 wins, 11 losses, 4.67 earned run average, 33 games, 22 starts) from the Giants and righty Neftali Felix (3-4, 6.38, 39 Ks in 48 innings- 48 games pitched) from the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates then traded second baseman Neil Walker (.269 batting average, 16 home runs, 71 runs batted in, .756 on base plus slugging) to the New York Mets in exchange for left handed starting pitcher Jonathon Niese (9-10, 4.13, 33 games, 29 starts, 6 postseason relief appearances). The Pirates then signed free agent first baseman? John Jaso (.286, 5, 32, .839) from the Tampa Bay Rays and third baseman David Freese (.257, 14, 56, .743) from the Los Angeles Angels. They also added right hander Juan Nicasio (1-3, 3.86, 65 strikeouts, just over 58 innings pitched) and lefty Kyle Lobstein (3-8, 5.94, 13 games, 11 starts). Nicasio came over as a free agent from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lobstein was purchased from the Tigers. The additional Pirates losses include first baseman Pedro Alvarez (.243, 27, 77, .787), third baseman Aramis Ramirez (retirement), left handed pitcher JA Happ (11-8, 3.61, 151 Ks, 172 IP), right hander AJ Burnett (retirement), left hander Antonio Bastardo (4-1, 2.98, 64 Ks, just over 57 IP), righty Charlie Morton (9-9, 4.81, 23 starts) and righty Joe Blanton (7-2, 2.84, 79 Ks, 76 IP). The Pirates are well managed by Clint Hurdle and also possess one of the game's best pitching coaches in Ray Searage. Searage was given a ton of credit for finding a mechanical flaw in Happ's delivery. Happ is expected to have a solid season in Toronto- his new home via free agency. Right hander Gerrit Cole (19-8, 2.60, 202 Ks, 208 IP) leads the staff, followed by veteran Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.38, 205 Ks, just less than 187 IP). Cole has become the ace and Liriano has blossomed since joining the Pirates. Left handed pitcher Jeff Locke (8-11, 4.49, 30 starts), Niese and Vogelsong will likely fill out the rotation. Lobstein and former San Diego Padres left hander Cory Luebke could also be in the mix, especially if there is an injury. Both will also be in the mix for a left handed reliever spot. The back of the Pirates bullpen is as good as any in the National League. Closer Mark Melancon (3-2, 2.23, 51 saves, 62 Ks, just less than 77 IP) was solid last season, though his strikeout rate has decreased drastically from where it has been over the past five seasons. Left hander Tony Watson (4-1, 1.91, 62 Ks, just over 75 IP) has experienced a similar lower Ks rate, though his has fluctuated since 2012 (8.9- 2012, 6.8- 2013, 9.4- 2014, 7.4- 2015). Arquimedes Caminero (5-1, 3.62, 73 Ks, just under 75 IP), Blanton and Nicasio are looking to back up their solid 2015 performances and if they do, the Pirates have quite a bit of depth. Feliz is looking to bounce back off a horrible 2015 season which saw him become a free agent mid season with Texas and stink up the joint after joining Detroit. The Pirates lineup will be led by their outfield. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen (.292, 23, 96, .889) is the team leader and is the one piece of the Pirates that can put the team on his back for a stretch. Left fielder Starling Marte (.287, 19, 81, .780) is on the verge of breaking out to become a star. He can be the difference in the Pirates making a serious push this season or not. Right fielder Gregory Polanco (.256, 9, 52, .701) is on the same path as Marte, but has been exposed at times. Polanco needs to prove he can hit for a higher batting average on a more consistent basis. The Pirates infield will get stronger once Jung Ho Kang (.287, 15, 58, .816) returns from his injury suffered last season on an attempted double play. Freese comes over to play some third and will likely platoon with Jaso at first once Kang returns. Until Kang returns, it will be up to veteran Michael Morse (.231, 5, 19, .649). Morse needs to return to the player he was in 2014 and earlier or he will not have a job for very long. The middle infield will feature Josh Harrison (.287, 4, 28, .717), the longtime utility player and one time All Star who now has an everyday position at second base. Longtime shortstop Jordy Mercer (.244, 3, 34, .613) remains at SS, an option for Kang when he comes back. However, it will be interesting to see if Kang is to take to the position that nearly ended his career last season. Francisco Cervelli (.295, 7, 43, .771) will be the team's everyday catcher once again. Ticking time bomb Josh Rodriguez (.246, 4, 17, 139 games) highlights the bench because of his versatility. If he can stop looking to get in a fight every game, perhaps he can become as valuable as Harrison has been for the past couple seasons. Joining Freese (when Kang returns) and Morse on the bench should be infielder Pedro Florimon, who will provide some defensive insurance up the middle and allow for the Pirates to pinch hit for Mercer. Providing the second half of the former Yankees catcher duo is Chris Stewart (.289, 0, 15, .659). Matt Joyce is also an option to make the team as an extra outfielder. Switch hitting first baseman Josh Bell looks to man the position for years to come. Despite hitting just 7 home runs last season, the former second round pick hit well over .300 and managed a total of 40 extra base hits in 131 games last season. Right hander Tyler Glassnow struck out 136 batters in just over 109 innings last season over three minor league levels. The Pirates are hoping that right hander Jameson Tallion can get back on track after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery. 2013 ninth overall pick Austin Meadows looks like he is on track to impact the major leagues soon, perhaps to start 2017. Of course, that will impact the Pirates outfield, one of which seems set for years to come. I like the Pirates, however, I just do not see them winning another 98 games in 2016 and playing in the National League Wild Card Game. They do possess a very deep squad, but I have some concerns over their starting pitching staff, one whom (outside of Cole and Liriano) seems a little weaker than it was a year ago. I also think few have mentioned Melancon and Watson's decreased strikeout rates and the fact that both will be 31 this season. They are well managed and coached, so perhaps this is when that ability comes out. I would not be shocked if the Pirates were good this season, I see the parity of the league kind of biting them this season. Las Vegas puts the Pirates at a solid 87 and I do not think I am that far off. I have Pittsburgh finishing the season at 83-79, second place in the National League Central division.

It is going on the third year that the Dodgers have extremely high expectations coming into the season. With Cy Young and MVP Award winner Clayton Kershaw (21-3, 1.77, 230 Ks in just over 198 IP, 0.857 WHIP, 6 CG) and the overall amount of talent on the team, there has been little to excuse over the fact that the Dodgers have not made it to the World Series in either of the past two campaigns. GM Ned Colletti was re-assigned and the Dodgers brought in Andrew Friedman from the Tampa Bay Rays as team President and Farhan Zaidi from the Oakland Athletics as General Manager. Both of the newly hired executives quickly went to work first parting ways with SS Hanley Ramirez (.283, 13, 71) and then trading franchise player Matt Kemp (.287, 27, 89) to the Padres in a deal that brought them C Yasmani Grandal (.225, 15, 49), RHP Joe Wieland and LHP Zack Eflin. Eflin was then traded with another minor leaguer to the Phillies to get SS Jimmy Rollins (.243, 17, 55, 28 SB). They then embarked on an extremely interesting trade with the Miami Marlins. They traded 2B Dee Gordon (.289, 2, 34, 64 SB), RHP Dan Haren (13-11, 4.02, 32 starts) and infielder Miguel Rojas (.181, 1, 9, 85 games) to Miami in exchange for LHP Andrew Heaney (0-3, 5.83, 5 starts), RHP Chris Hatcher (0-3, 3.38, 60 Ks, 56 IP) and utility player Enrique Hernandez. They then traded Heaney to the Angels for 2B Howie Kendrick (.293, 7, 75, career high 181 hits). Even more interesting was the fact that they chose to take on the entire remaining $10 million of Haren's 2015 salary. They then chose to release RHP Brian Wilson (2-4, 4.66, 61 games) even though the team was on the hook for his $9.5 million salary for the 2015 season. The Dodgers then took to free agency to address the last two spots in their rotation. They signed RHP Brandon McCarthy (10-15, 4.02, 32 starts, 200 IP) to a 4 year, $48 million contact then signed LHP Brett Anderson (1-3, 2.91, 8 starts) to a 1 year, $10 million deal. Both moves could have been considered against the grain but McCarthy had pitched very well for the Yankees after he was acquired (7-5, 2.89, 14 starts) and seems to have recovered from all tyoes of injuries that have impeded his past 6 seasons. The same can be said about Anderson, a one time high ceiling starter who has had a series of injuries destroy the last 4 seasons of his career. If both are back, the Dodgers will get every bit of the value they were seeking for the addition of the two pitchers. The Dodgers added Hatcher from the Marlins and traded for Joel Peralta (3-4, 4.41, 69 games, 74 Ks in just over 63 IP) from the Rays. They have also taken flyers on free agents Dustin McGowan (5-3, 4.17, 53 games, 9 starts) from Toronto and Juan Nicasio (6-6, 5.28, 33 games, 14 starts) from the Rockies. If that wasn't enough, the Dodgers also added relievers David Aardsma, Mike Adams, Chad Gaudin, David Huff and Sergio Santos as NRIs. All of whom can become huge steals if they can make the team. Closer Kenley Jensen (2-3, 2.76, 44 saves, 101 Ks in just over 65 IP) had surgery on his foot which will likely keep him out through April. RHP Brandon League (2-3, 2.57, 63 games) and LHP JP Howell (3-3, 2.39, 68 games) have minor injuries that should not impact their place on the opening day bullpen. Hatcher, Peralta and Paco Rodriguez (1-0, 3.86, 19 games) will also be shouldering a lot of the load early. RHP Pedro Baez (0-0, 2.63, 20 games), McGowan, Nicasio and the group of NRI relievers will manage to make for a very good bullpen. They have the numbers game in their favor, all of whom have track records of success at certain points of their careers. Kershaw's dominance makes it easy to forget how good of a pitcher Zack Greinke (17-8, 2.71, 207 Ks in just over 202 IP) is. Hyun-jin Ryu (14-7, 3.38, 26 starts) is the number three, followed by McCarthy and Anderson. RHP Wieland, brought over from San Diego in the Kemp trade is the top option in case of injury as well as NRIs Erik Bedard, Gaudin and Huff. The main part of the Dodgers lineup will be 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.276, 27, 116) and RF Yasiel Puig (.296, 16, 69). CF Joc Peterson (.303, 33, 78 in AAA) takes the reigns with Carl Crawford (.300, 8, 46, 23 SB) and Andre Ethier (.249, 4, 42). The Dodgers are in a tough spot with Ethier, who seems to have lost his edge. The Dodgers will have to assume a large part of his remaining salary if they were to trade him, similar to the Phillies with Ryan Howard. Juan Uribe (.311, 9, 54) returns to play 3B. The Dodgers lineup I would go with is Rollins SS, Kendrick 2B, Gonzalez 1B, Puig RF, Peterson CF, Uribe 3B, Grandal C, Crawford LF. Justin Turner (.340, 7, 43) was fantastic for them last season and will lead the bench which includes newcomer Chris Heisey (.222, 8, 22), Scott Van Slyke, Darwin Barney, Ethier and now backup catcher AJ Ellis (.191, 3, 25). As good as Peterson should be, 3B/ SS Corey Seager (.349, 20, 97, 50 2B) is expected to be even better. The Dodgers are not in a major need to rush him with the additions of Rollins and Kendrick, but Seager may make it difficult to keep him off the big club for long. RHP Chris Anderson and LHP Julio Urias are missing bats and both should be ready to help out in the rotation this season if needed. Similar to Seager though, both are blocked because of the depth on the major league roster. The Dodgers O/U is set at 92 1/2. I think it is right on. I have the Dodgers winning 93 games, losing 69 games and finishing in 1st place in the NL West division. Lots has to go wrong to see this team finish anywhere but first, even though the Padres are better and the Diamondbacks will be a surprise.

I'm happy to be putting together my annual MLB team previews for the 3rd consecutive March. Each of the past seasons, I have learned from my experience that I have to make adjustments to my initial thoughts. My beef has been with all the experts just piggy backing off Baseball Prospectus to rank the teams to prospective finishes. Before the 2012 season, I tried to make a point that they are never completely correct. By doing so, I made some bolder predictions to try to stand out. I also noticed that the know it alls simply like to predict that the same teams that were successful last season will automatically be great the following year. While that is not necessarily true, there is no formula to pick that "sleeper team" for any given season. Doing this for the 3rd season, I've put together a better balance of logic and in the belief of the up and comer. Feel free to comment both on the outlook of each team I preview as well as where I rank them among the 30 in MLB. Over the past couple seasons, the Rockies have started to get more of a clue of how of how to run their organization. A couple years ago, they implemented one of the worst pitching staffs in the history of the game and it had nothing to do with personnel. The Rockies switched to a four man rotation giving each starting pitcher a limit of 75-80 pitches. They would then employ a piggy back pitcher who would generally enter the game in the 3rd or 4th inning. While the Rockies may have slowly been getting more talented pitchers, this policy hurt them very much. This off season, in my opinion, left much to be desired. It was common knowledge that the team intended to trade CF Dexter Fowler. But, to get just Jordan Lyles and Brandon Barnes in return was not a good trade. They then acquired OF Drew Stubbs from the Indians in exchange for RHP Josh Outman. In essence, the Rockies replaced Fowler with Stubbs. Other moves included adding LHP Brett Anderson from the Athletics in exchange for Drew Pomeranz and reacquiring LHP Franklin Morales from the Red Sox for infielder Jonathan Herrera. The one part of the Rockies team I feel good about is the bullpen. The team added RHP Latroy Hawkins, coming off a solid season in 2013 for the New York Mets (3-2, 13, 2.92 in 72 games) at age 40. Hawkins will get a chance to close, but LHP Rex Brothers (2-1, 19, 1.74 with 10.2 Ks/9 IP) likely to get a chance to earn his job back. Rafael Betancourt retired, with Hawkins essentially getting his spot. They also added LHP Boone Logan from the Yankees, who went 5-2, 3.23 in 61 games last season. RHP Matt Belisle (5-7, 4.32 in 72 games) has logged a lot of innings over the past couple seasons and so has RHP Wilton Lopez (3-4, 4.06 in 75 games). RHP Adam Ottavino (1-3. 2.61 in 51 games) was solid last season and the team has three relievers in camp on minor league deals that can all play roles if needed: Greg Burke, Nick Masset and Manuel Corpas. I believe in this bullpen because Brothers is going to be solid and Belisle and Lopez will be better than last season as they will not have to pitch 70 games. Brothers will eventually be the closer, with Belisle and Hawkins getting up. Logan will be the LOOGY, with Lopez, Ottavino and likely Masset rounding out what will be a solid pen. I cannot say the same about the starting pitching, though the top two starters last season, Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De la Rosa, pitched as well as any two starters in the history of the Rockies franchise. Chacin went 14-10, 3.47 in 197 1/3 IP in 31 starts in 2013. De la Rosa was a surprising 16-6, 3.49 in his 30 2013 starts. Anderson was a good acquisition, but after making 30 starts as a 21 year old in 2009, he has made a total of 43 starts over the past 4 seasons. He was 1-4, 6.04 in 16 games, 5 starts for the Athletics last season. It is a hope that his arm is gaining strength after the Tommy John surgery. RHPs Tyler Chatwood (8-5, 3.15 in 20 starts) and Juan Nicasio (9-9, 5.14 in 31 starts) round out the rotation. Perhaps Lyles (7-7, 5.59 in 27 games, 25 starts) can provide some insurance if necessary with top pitching prospect and number two overall pick in the 2013 draft Jonathan Gray on his way. The Rockies rotation can start out by staying healthy and if Anderson and Nicasio can get back to form, they can be pretty solid. However, I think that is a big if. The Rockies traded Fowler so Carlos Gonzalez can play CF. There is no doubt that he can play the position, but do you want the off injured OF who played in just 110 games last season, playing a position that will wear him out and that requires more strenuous athleticism? I do not agree with the move and while it will not hurt the Rockies defensively, the thought of Gonzalez being out for any length of time has to scare the city of Colorado. SS Troy Tulowitzki has played in 143 games just once over the past four seasons and over 150 games once through 2008. We know what he is capable of when he is out there; he hit .312, 25, 82 in 126 games last season. Michael Cuddyer (.331, 20, 84) was outstanding for the Rockies last season. The team signed Cuddyer's former teammate 1B Justin Morneau (.259, 17, 77), who played over 150 games in a season for the 1st time since 2008. He will be replacing Mr Rockie, Todd Helton, who hit .316 in his 17 year career with 2519 hits and 592 2Bs, of course all Rockies records. 3B Nolan Arrenado (.267, 10, 52) is expected to improve as he is just 22. He did win the Gold Glove Award for NL 3B last season as a rookie. Catcher Wilin Rosario (.292, 21, 79) has tremendous numbers for a catcher, unfortunately the Rockies do not view him as a catcher for long. In the off season, they looked at Brian McCann, Carlos Ruiz and even Travis d'Arnaud with the thoughts of moving Rosario to the OF. It still might happen, though the Rockies do not have a backup catcher on the roster. In fact, the Rockies are toying with the idea of using infielder Jordan Pacheco and OF Matt McBride as part time catchers while Rosario is not playing. Relax, as it seems former Pirates backup Michael McKenry will get the job on a minor league deal. DJ LaMahieu (.280, 2, 26) will start at 2B, but I would not be surprised if Josh Rutledge (.235, 7, 19) fights for playing time. I would line the Rockies up like this: Stubbs LF, Tulowitzki SS, Gonzalez CF, Cuddyer RF, Rosario C, Morneau 1B, Arrenado 3B, LeMahieu 2B. 2-6 will be great if everybody can stay healthy and that is a big if. The Rockies went 74-88 last season and that was with some very good pitching by Chacin and De la Rosa. They can improve if the pitching gets better and if the players in the lineup stay healthy. I am not banking on it. I see a step back this season, 66-96, last in the NL West. In fact, I think it will get so bad some veteran players like Cuddyer and maybe even Tulo and CarGo could get traded. I expect to see Rosario out from behind the plate, which requires somebody to be out of their respective position. I thought the Vegas over under of 76.5 was a little too high. I am betting low, but there is enough talent on this team that they can throw it in my face.

The Colorado Rockies had some higher expectations last season. They signed free agent OF Michael Cuddyer and traded for INF Marco Scutaro with the hopes of having a strong offense. Unfortunately, they misread the lack of MLB ready starting pitching they had and the season turned into a disaster. It was made worse by the injuries to SS Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton and being without Carlos Gonzalez and Cuddyer for parts of the season. The roots of what destroyed the Rockies in 2012 was their silly change in pitching philosophy. The decision to use a 4 man rotation with a cap of 60-70 pitches was a crazy idea and the results prove that. In my opinion, it derailed the development of some of their younger pitchers. The question is whether they will get away from this program or not. They need to abandon it if they want their pitchers to develop. They have some talented starters: Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Jorge De la Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio and Tyler Chatwood to name a few. Pitching these guys, as well as others, like normal starters will start to get the pitching staff back on track. I am not high on the hiring of new managers with no managerial experience, but Walt Weiss is a very experienced baseball man. He was always one of the smarter players, and he has the ability to be a successful MLB manager. Offensively, the team got a breakout season from rookie catcher Wilin Rosario (.270, 28, 71). Chris Nelson (.301, 9, 53) has taken over as the team's starting 3B and Josh Rutledge (.274, 8, 37) seems ready to be the team's everyday 2B. Tyler Colvin (.290, 18, 72) impressed even though he may not have a position on the field. Dexter Fowler (.300, 13, 53, 11 3Bs) took major steps towards being the player the Rockies expect him to be. Gonzalez (.303, 22, 85) and Tulowitzki (.287, 8, 27 in 47 games) can turn this team into a contender as the lineup seems to have put itself into place. Cuddyer (.260, 16, 58) and Helton (.237, 7, 37) are also capable of producing much more. I'd line them up like this: Fowler CF, Rutledge 2B, Tulowitzki SS, Gonzalez LF, Rosario C, Colvin/ Helton 1B, Cuddyer RF, Nelson 3B. Helton is clearly nearing the end of his impressive career. If Helton performs, I can see Colvin getting some time in either CF or RF, spotting Fowler and Cuddyer. The bench is expected to be deep with Jordan Pacheco, Ramon Hernandez, Eric Young Jr, and Jonathan Herrera joining either Colvin or Helton. This team will score runs. After that endorsement, it would be fair to question why so low on my team rankings. I just do not believe in the pitching. However, at its best, they do possess some who raise the bar on what to expect. Veteran Jeff Francis (6-7, 5.58 in 24 starts, 113 IP) was the only pitcher who threw over 100 IP for the Rockies last season. Pomeranz, who came over in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, has the highest upside of any Rockies starters. De la Rosa returns from a lost season. He won 16 games in the 2009 season. I would start the season with Pomeranz, De la Rosa, Chacin, Nicasio, and either Chatwood, White or Francis. The key will be if these guys are allowed to pitch. The team cannot get through a successful season using 14 different starters like they did last season. Under new pitching coach Jim Wright, who was already with the organization, they seem to be going in the right direction. I have difficulty trusting the closer, Rafael Betancourt. I think Matt Belisle and Wilton Lopez (6-3, 2.17, 10 saves in 63 games for Houston last season) are probably better closing options for the Rockies. Either way, the Rockies have very good set-up relief with LHP Rex Brothers solidifying the game late. The question is whether the starters can get the game to the 7th inning, by themselves without the need for a piggyback reliever. That will be key. As I have stated, I have little faith in the team's ability to pitch, particularly at the beginning of games. I am concerned the Rockies ruined the development of Pomeranz, White and Nicasio by what they did last season. But, if they are left alone, maybe the true talent can be seen. This team will not lose 98 games like they did last year, but I have a hard time seeing them compete. Vegas puts their over/ under at 71 1/2; I think they can beat that, but not by much. I see the Rockies finishing at 73-89, last place in the NL West. But like I said, if Pomeranz can become an ace, and De la Rosa and Chacin can pitch to their full potential, this team could surprise. Especially with an offense that will score runs.